Pedestrian Shot in Year's First Homicide

By Jorge Casuso

In what is this year's first homicide, a man was fatally shot from a passing car as he was crossing the freeway overpass at Lincoln Boulevard late Wednesday afternoon, police said.

The victim, a black 37-year-old male, was transported in extremely critical condition to Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center, where he died at 9:40 p.m. of a single gunshot wound to the torso, said Santa Monica Police Lt. Ray Cooper.

Police arrested two suspects - a black male and a black female -- as they exited on the eastbound La Brea off ramp in a white vehicle that matched the description of several eyewitnesses, Cooper said.

Neither the victim -- a former Santa Monica resident who lived in Venice -- nor the suspects, who remain in custody, have been identified.

The shooting occurred at 5:40 p.m. after a white four-door Crysler with the two suspects pulled up alongside the victim, who was walking northbound on Lincoln Boulevard, Cooper said.

After an exchange of words, one of the suspects fired several shots, one of which struck the victim.

Police followed a vehicle that matched eyewitness reports and made the arrest without incident.

Detectives were interviewing the suspects late Wednesday night, police said. No motive for the shooting had yet been established.